


Never trust an air bed.

by HobbitsmydearWatson



Series: Prompts and One Shots [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 05:58:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3518006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HobbitsmydearWatson/pseuds/HobbitsmydearWatson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After settling down for their first night in Alexandria, Rick learns never to trust an air bed and that it's the little things in life that make you want to keep going.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never trust an air bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this prompt - "Imagine your OTP having to share an air mattress for the night. Person A is already in bed and comfortable, and person B, very tired from the day, flops down on the other side, thus launching A into the air."
> 
> Just my little take on things. This is the first thing I've ever written so any feedback you could give me would be much appreciated.

Rick knew that accepting the air bed was a mistake but after weeks of the group either sleeping on the ground or in broken down vehicles he couldn’t bring himself to make the others sleep on the floor again, not when there were perfectly good beds in the Alexandria safe zone to go around.

More specifically, empty beds, as upon arriving it had been a unanimous vote on whether or not they would sleep together for the time being instead of splitting up into houses like Deanna had wished. Meaning that instead of occupying the many beds Alexandria had to offer, the group and indeed Rick himself had all squished together in the relatively spacious living room to sleep. But whilst Deanna had seemed happy enough with this arrangement she put her foot down when she noticed the amount of people sleeping on the hard oak flooring, insisting that they used the spare air mattresses her group had looted months ago.

Whilst Rick himself would’ve preferred to sleep on the floor he couldn’t help but notice the way the others lit up at the prospect of sleeping on something that gave a little under their weight allowing them to sleep for the first time in years without waking up to stiff muscles and dead limbs.

The group in question were currently sound asleep in various states of unconsciousness around him.

Whilst most had taken the airbeds and claimed their own corners of the room, Carl, Judith, Glenn and Maggie had called dibs on the two sofas.

Sitting up Rick looked over to his children, smiling fondly at their positions as Judith slept peacefully in her brother’s arms, her body nestled between the back of the chair and Carl as the teen slept with his back facing Rick, making the perfect human crib for the little girl. Maggie and Glenn weren’t nearly as well coordinated with the young women curled up tightly in a ball against the arm of the chair whilst Glenn with his head nestled in Maggie’s lap sprawled out across the remaining space, the only visible parts of him being his arms and legs as they stuck out from under the blanket he’d thrown over himself.

Reassured that his family were all still alive and seemingly content Rick lay back down against his chosen bed, shifting slightly as the scratchy fabric underneath him stuck to his skin before finding a comfy position.

 _So far so good_ , he thought to himself, slightly surprised at the uneventful turn the night appeared to have taken. He hadn’t had an uneventful night since he lost the prison; it made him feel restless, on edge, as if his body was just waiting for something to happen.

Rick jolted as he heard the front door click into place, his body rigid as it prepared to fight whatever or whoever had come through the entrance, reaching slowly towards his bag at the side of his bed with the purpose of snatching the knife he’d smuggled in from within its folds.

Whoever it was moved quietly around the room, barely making a sound. _Human_ , Rick noted, his fingers clasped around the cold handle of the blade as he feigned sleep. Ready to spring at any moment, Rick listened intently as the intruder seemed to walk around the group, pausing occasionally before moving again as if looking for something. Hearing something heavy being placed gently against the table Rick relaxed as he recognized the sound of the old, wooden crossbow being laid down with care. _Of course_ , Rick thought to himself, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity before pulling his arm back under the covers and into the warmth. It wasn’t that he had forgotten that the archer wasn’t in the room with them, only he knew Daryl’s feelings towards small spaces occupying large groups of people so he’d assumed that the hunter would’ve stayed outside for the night, finding a crevice somewhere to haul up in.

Rick felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as eyes stared into the back of his head. Trying with all his might to even out his breathing and feign sleep, Rick’s traitorous heart began to beat faster at the prospect of Daryl staring at him. Hearing Daryl’s soft footsteps getting closer Rick desperately tried to get his breathing under control as so not to give himself away.

 _Pack it in,_ he reprimanded, _you are a grown man with two children not some love-struck teenager for god’s sake. Get it together. Daryl’s clearly going to walk past you and take the space Carol left for him over by the door. He is not coming over here. He is not-_

Rick yelped as he was suddenly launched into the air, his limbs flailing madly whilst airborne before connecting heavily with his ribs as he landed in a heap on the wooden floor. _Shit_ , he winced as he rolled over onto his back, his hands coming to rest against his surely bruised hip.

Suddenly the room was basked in light as someone turned on the light, the group wide awake and on high alert at the sound of distress.

“Shit Rick! Are you all alright?” Daryl grunted as he crawled towards the injured man, his normally cat-like movements stunted somewhat as the airbed moved underneath him.

“I really hate you right now” Rick groaned, chuckling to himself as the absurdness of the situation.

Just last week he took down four walkers without a bruise and now here he was turning black and blue against the cold floor after Daryl fucking Dixon had launched him into the air having clearly forgetting the implications of face planting an airbed whilst another person was already lying on it.

“I’m sorry man. I didn’t think” Daryl rushed, looking Rick over frantically as if trying to see the damage he had done. 

“It’s okay, I think I may have broken my ass but other than that I’m fine” he winced, hoping to get a raise out of Daryl but only seemed to succeed in freaking the man out further as the hunter’s eyes widened in horror.

“That. Was the best thing I’ve seen in months” Glenn’s voice spoke up from the sofa interrupting the moment, the man in question looking at the pair from underneath the thick blanket wrapped around his head and shoulders with a look of pure delight. 

Rick couldn’t help but grin at the man’s expression; it had been too long since Glenn had looked like that, since any of them had looked like that. Wanting the moment to last Rick reached over to grab his discarded pillow, sitting up before launching it across the room, grinning as it hit Glenn squarely in the face, making the other man recoil at the force with an undignified yelp.

“Thanks for the sympathy” Rick laughed, ignoring the throbbing pain resonating from his hipbone. Like magic everyone seemed to melt slightly as laughter began to fill the air, first with Maggie as the young women snorted at the state of her husband before moving swiftly to Carl then Michonne before everyone was joining in. Even Sasha broke a small smile at the exchange, looking too beaten and worn to give anything else.

 Looking back at Daryl to see if he was seeing the funny side to it yet Rick frowned at the worry still in the younger man’s eyes as he continued to look Rick over as if fearful that the man was about to fall apart at any moment.

 “Hey” Rick muttered, nudging Daryl with his foot to make sure he had his attention before waiting for those beautiful, blue eyes to look at him, “I’m okay, really. Just the odd bruise.”

Daryl nodded in answer, offering his own small smile as the rest of the group howled with laughter, letting out the stresses and heartache that had built up within them all.

Yes they had lost people, good people, people they were never going to forget, but at least for the time being they could stop to smile at the little things once in a while.


End file.
